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J_S_A's avatar
J_S_A
Icon for Helper I rankHelper I
1 year ago
Solved

Automation of Excel generation from Power BI

Hi, I have a visual table created in a Power BI Report in Power BI Desktop. I would need to export this table to Excel daily and save it in Sharepoint. Is there any way to achieve this in an automa...
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  • Olufemi7's avatar
    Olufemi7
    1 year ago

    Automating Excel Generation from Power BI (Without Premium)

    Hi J_S_A , 

    I had a similar need  exporting a visual table from a Power BI report daily to Excel and saving it to SharePoint and I found a practical solution using Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, and Power Automate, all without needing Power BI Premium or PPU.

     

     Here’s how I achieved it (No Code Required):

    1. Export the Visual Table to Excel

    • First, I manually exported the visual table from Power BI Service to Excel.
    • I saved the file in a SharePoint document library.

    2. Automate the Daily Email with Power Automate

    • I created a Scheduled Flow in Power Automate:
      • Trigger: Recurrence (daily at a set time).
      • Action 1: Get file content using path from SharePoint.
        • Site Address: Your SharePoint site.
        • File Path: /Shared Documents/YourFile.xlsx
      • Action 2: Send an email (V2) via Outlook.
        • Attach the Excel file.
        • Customize subject and body.

    This setup sends the Excel file automatically every day via Outlook and keeps it stored in SharePoint.

     

    Benefits

    • No need for Premium or PPU.
    • No coding required.
    • Fully automated using Microsoft 365 tools.

    Let me know if you'd like a step-by-step guide, happy to share what worked for me!

     

     

Olufemi7's avatar
Olufemi7
Icon for Super User rankSuper User
1 year ago

Outlook Template + Task Scheduler (No Code, Manual Send)
Works on both Windows and Mac (manual send, low setup required)

Hi J_S_A,

Yes, there's a lightweight, no-code method I’ve personally tested to export a Power BI table daily to Excel and have it open in a pre-filled email, ready to send to SharePoint or a distribution list. You’ll only need to click Send—everything else is automated.

 

🖥️ Windows Setup

1. Export Table to Excel CSV (manual or Power Automate Desktop)
From Power BI Desktop:

  • Export visual as CSV or use Power Automate Desktop to extract and save the table daily to a local folder like C:\Reports\DailyReport.csv.

    2. Create Outlook Email Template

    • Open Outlook → New Email
    • Attach your CSV (from C:\Reports\DailyReport.csv)
    • Add subject/body
    • Go to File > Save As > Outlook Template (.oft)
    • Save it as DailyReport.oft in the same folder.

      3. Automate Launch with Task Scheduler

      • Open Task Scheduler > Create Basic Task
      • Name: Open Daily Email
      • Trigger: Daily → Choose preferred time
      • Action: Start a Program
        • Program/script: outlook.exe
        • Add arguments: /t "C:\Reports\DailyReport.oft" (quotes included)
        • Finish and test.

          At your scheduled time, Outlook opens the email with the CSV attached—just click Send.

           

           Mac Setup

          1. Export Table to Excel (manually or via OneDrive sync)

          • Use Power BI Desktop to export your table and save as CSV (e.g., /Users/YourName/Documents/DailyReport.csv)

            2. Create Apple Mail Template

            • Open Mail.app → New Message
            • Fill in To/Subject/Body and attach the CSV
            • Go to File > Save as Template (this creates a reusable .emltpl file)

              3. Automate Email Launch with Calendar App

              • Open Automator → New Calendar Alarm
              • Action: Open File → Select your .emltpl template
              • Save and name the calendar alarm (e.g., "Daily Email Alert")
              • In Calendar, adjust the time it should run daily

                 At the set time, your pre-filled Mail message will open with the attachment—click Send.

                 

                Let me know if you’d like a fully automated version using Power Automate  instead. For power Automate it must be Power Automate for Business (Pro)
                Hope this helps!